Today: Sunny and Pleasant, High Near 70

Washington: Today - Sunny and pleasant, high 65 to 70, low 40 to 45. Chance of rain is near zero through tonight. Winds will be northwesterly at 15 mph. Saturday - Sunny and pleasant, high near 70.

Maryland and Virginia: Today - Sunny and pleasant, high in 60s and low 70s, low in 40s. Saturday - Sunny, high in 60s and low 70s.

Lower Potomac and Chesapeake Bay: Today - Fair, visibility more than five miles. Winds will be northwesterly at 15 knots. Waves in unprotected waters will be 2 feet.

Extended Area Outlook for Sunday through Tuesday: Sunny on Sunday then clouding up with a chance of showers toward the end of the period. Highs will average in the 70s and lows in the upper 40s and 50s. Normal Washington temperatures for the period will be a high of 67 and a low of 47.

The Nation Yesterday: The warm autumn sun was basking most of the nation. The mercury registered in the 60s across the country with temperatures in the 70s along the Gulf Coast and over southern California. Cloudy skies continued through the Great Lakes region and New England. It was a little cooler under the clouds, mostly in the 50s. Showers continued near Lake Superior and along the Atlantic coast from the Virginias to New England. Rainfall amounts were insignificant. Florida still had scattered thunder-showers along its Atlantic Coast. Rainfall amounts were small also. Several showers developed over southern Nevada, western Arizona, and southern California but little rainfall was measurable. The Canadian air responsible for the dry conditions was spread over most of the nation except the southwestern corner. Humidities were low and temperatures comfortable. Temperatures in the 60s replaced the near freezing temperatures in North Carolina. With plenty of sunshine the low temperatures in the northern Plains rose into the 60s. Of course temperatures were already in the 90s in southern Arizona and the deserts of southeastern California but this was still only slightly warm for the southwest. Except for being dry for too long in some places, it has been a pleasant day for most Americans.

The National Weather Forecast for today - showers will spread into the Pacific northwest, which will be the only significant rainfall across the nation. Sunny skies will prevail almost everywhere. The Great Lakes region and New England will remain cool, in the 50s. The remainder of the nation will have mild fall temperatures. The partly cloudy skies will hold the desert southwest within the 80s.